Susovan's speaker is saying goodbye to the idea of being someone's "person" while refusing to stop caring. The opening lines admit a possibility that hurts: the one they love may end up with someone else. Instead of bitterness, the speaker makes a list of wishes, and each one is small and tender. Someone scrubbing your back, plaiting your hair, making tea before you ask, remembering to hold the pickles. These details show what the speaker thinks real love looks like: attention to ordinary things.
The line "I hope they treat you better than I did" quietly admits guilt, so the poem is partly an apology. The mood is wistful, gentle, and a little sad, but also generous. The ending is the most honest part. The speaker calls themselves "human ruins" and "shining adequacy," meaning flawed but still sincere, and promises to love anyway. It's love that asks for nothing back.